Thursday, September 20, 2007
U.S. forces arrest Iranian in Kurdistan
Region
(AFP) - US forces arrested an Iranian businessman on Thursday at a hotel in Sulaimaniyah, a majority Kurdish city in northern Iraq, a regional government official told AFP. He is the latest Iranian national to be detained in Iraq by the US military, which accuses Iran of helping fund and arm Shiite militia groups in the country's bloody sectarian conflict.
The businessman, identified only as Farhadi, was detained at around 4.00 am (midnight GMT) after US troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel, said a spokesman for government of the largely autonomous region of Kurdistan. The businessman was a member of an Iranian commercial delegation visiting Sulaimaniyah, said the spokesman, Jamal Abdullah.
"American troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel early in the morning and arrested a man known as Farhadi. He was a member of a commercial delegation from the Iranian province of Kermanshah," Abdullah said. US military spokesman Major Winfield Danielson said he could not immediately comment on the reported detention.
There was no immediate comment frm Tehran. Late last month, US forces briefly detained a group of Iranians, including two diplomats, from a Baghdad hotel in what the military later said was a "regrettable incident." Tehran issued a protest over what it called the "unjustifiable" detention of the Iranians, who were taken by US troops from a hotel in blindfolds and handcuffs after their convoy was stopped at a nearby checkpoint.
Thursday's arrest is the third such action by US troops since January, when five Iranians working in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil were seized for allegedly aiding the anti-American insurgency. They are still in US military custody. It comes amid mounting tension between the United States and Iran, with Washington accusing Tehran of stoking tensions in Iraq and of covertly developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies both charges, saying the presence of US troops is the main cause of violence in Iraq and that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Amid a mounting war of words, Iran angered Washington further when it warned on Wednesday that it could bomb Israel if it was attacked by the Jewish state. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is travelling to New York on Sunday and will give a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the same day that US President George W. Bush is scheduled to speak.
The businessman, identified only as Farhadi, was detained at around 4.00 am (midnight GMT) after US troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel, said a spokesman for government of the largely autonomous region of Kurdistan. The businessman was a member of an Iranian commercial delegation visiting Sulaimaniyah, said the spokesman, Jamal Abdullah.
"American troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel early in the morning and arrested a man known as Farhadi. He was a member of a commercial delegation from the Iranian province of Kermanshah," Abdullah said. US military spokesman Major Winfield Danielson said he could not immediately comment on the reported detention.
There was no immediate comment frm Tehran. Late last month, US forces briefly detained a group of Iranians, including two diplomats, from a Baghdad hotel in what the military later said was a "regrettable incident." Tehran issued a protest over what it called the "unjustifiable" detention of the Iranians, who were taken by US troops from a hotel in blindfolds and handcuffs after their convoy was stopped at a nearby checkpoint.
Thursday's arrest is the third such action by US troops since January, when five Iranians working in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil were seized for allegedly aiding the anti-American insurgency. They are still in US military custody. It comes amid mounting tension between the United States and Iran, with Washington accusing Tehran of stoking tensions in Iraq and of covertly developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies both charges, saying the presence of US troops is the main cause of violence in Iraq and that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Amid a mounting war of words, Iran angered Washington further when it warned on Wednesday that it could bomb Israel if it was attacked by the Jewish state. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is travelling to New York on Sunday and will give a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the same day that US President George W. Bush is scheduled to speak.
Labels: commercial delegation, Farhadi, Iranian, Kermanshah, Sulaimaniyah, U.S. forces
Monday, September 17, 2007
WHO - cholera cases in Iraq continue to rise
Health
(AP) -- The number of suspected cholera cases in northern Iraq continues to rise, with 16,000 people now showing symptoms, the World Health Organization said Friday. As of Sept. 10, 6,000 have been reported with symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting in the province of Sulaimaniyah, another 7,000 in Tamim province, and 3,000 in Irbil province, the WHO said in a statement.
To date 10 people have died and 844 cases of the disease have been confirmed, the WHO said. Earlier in the week, regional authorities reported 11,000 people with symptoms, 700 confirmed cases and 10 deaths. Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is typically spread by drinking contaminated water and can cause severe diarrhea that in extreme cases can lead to fatal dehydration. It broke out in mid-August and has so far been limited to northern Iraq.
The WHO reported earlier this week that all public water supply systems in the affected districts have been chlorinated by provincial authorities in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading further.
To date 10 people have died and 844 cases of the disease have been confirmed, the WHO said. Earlier in the week, regional authorities reported 11,000 people with symptoms, 700 confirmed cases and 10 deaths. Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is typically spread by drinking contaminated water and can cause severe diarrhea that in extreme cases can lead to fatal dehydration. It broke out in mid-August and has so far been limited to northern Iraq.
The WHO reported earlier this week that all public water supply systems in the affected districts have been chlorinated by provincial authorities in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading further.
Labels: cholera, Irbil, northern Iraq, Sulaimaniyah, Tamim, WHO
Kurdistan flights to Sweden and Germany to resume
Kurdistan
(KRG) - KRG (Kurdistan regional government) minister of transportation Burhan saeid Sofi announced during a press conference that Kurdistan Region Flights to Resume to Sweden and Germany in the next week. "Kurdistan region's sky is secure and investigations of the Swedish airlines company showed that news that allegedly Swedish airplanes has been shot were baseless" said, KRG minister of transportation.
"Flights from Sweden to Sulaimaniyah will resume by the next week, but another company will conduct those flights." He added. In August, Sweden has suspended commercial flights to and from Kurdistan region (Iraq) after an apparent rocket attack against a passenger jet as it took off from the northern city of Sulaimaniyah, the Nordic country's aviation authority said Tuesday. Sulaimaniyah International Airport Authority, Kamaran Ahmed, said a local investigation found no evidence that a missile was fired and blamed the scare on bright lights being used on the ground.
"Flights from Sweden to Sulaimaniyah will resume by the next week, but another company will conduct those flights." He added. In August, Sweden has suspended commercial flights to and from Kurdistan region (Iraq) after an apparent rocket attack against a passenger jet as it took off from the northern city of Sulaimaniyah, the Nordic country's aviation authority said Tuesday. Sulaimaniyah International Airport Authority, Kamaran Ahmed, said a local investigation found no evidence that a missile was fired and blamed the scare on bright lights being used on the ground.
Labels: Burhan saeid Sofi, Germany, KRG, Nordic Airways, Sulaimaniyah, Sweden
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Cholera outbreak in northern Iraq could spread south
Health
(AP) -- A cholera outbreak in northern Iraq has so far been limited to three provinces but could spread south, a Health Ministry official said Wednesday. Since the disease broke out in mid-August, 10 people have died and some 700 others have been confirmed with cholera, said Adel Muhsin, the Health Ministry's inspector general. Another 11,000 are suffering from such symptoms as severe diarrhea and vomiting, Muhsin said.
Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is typically spread by drinking contaminated water and can cause severe diarrhea that in extreme cases can lead to fatal dehydration. Worst hit has been the city of Sulaimaniyah, in the province of the same name, which has seen 4,600 cases of diarrhea and 300 cases of cholera, said Sherko Abdullah, the head of the regional health ministry department. Nine of the 10 deaths have been in the city, he said. It has also been reported in the northern provinces of Irbil and Tamim.
"No new cases have been discovered yet in other parts in Iraq and it is not impossible this will happen, but we are taking steps to contain and prevent the disease from spreading to other areas," Muhsin said. Last week, United Nations Development Program official Paolo Lembo said the outbreak was caused by the "inadequacy of the water supply system and deteriorated infrastructure" of the area.
Medical teams are regularly testing drinking water in Baghdad and other areas, and the Health Ministry is working to provide chlorine to drinking water plants, which can kill the bacteria responsible for cholera. "The more we pay attention to the drinking water regarding chlorine, the more we prevent an outbreak of this disease elsewhere," Muhsin said.
Abdullah said the number of new cases has been slowing now that the problem has been identified with the water, and that measures are being taken to fix the situation. The World Health Organization said this week that all public water supply systems in the affected districts have been chlorinated by provincial authorities.
"In addition, water samples from the public water supply sources are being collected and tested routinely to ensure they meet potable water safety standards," the WHO said. The health agency did not recommend any special restrictions on travel or trade to or from affected areas.
Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is typically spread by drinking contaminated water and can cause severe diarrhea that in extreme cases can lead to fatal dehydration. Worst hit has been the city of Sulaimaniyah, in the province of the same name, which has seen 4,600 cases of diarrhea and 300 cases of cholera, said Sherko Abdullah, the head of the regional health ministry department. Nine of the 10 deaths have been in the city, he said. It has also been reported in the northern provinces of Irbil and Tamim.
"No new cases have been discovered yet in other parts in Iraq and it is not impossible this will happen, but we are taking steps to contain and prevent the disease from spreading to other areas," Muhsin said. Last week, United Nations Development Program official Paolo Lembo said the outbreak was caused by the "inadequacy of the water supply system and deteriorated infrastructure" of the area.
Medical teams are regularly testing drinking water in Baghdad and other areas, and the Health Ministry is working to provide chlorine to drinking water plants, which can kill the bacteria responsible for cholera. "The more we pay attention to the drinking water regarding chlorine, the more we prevent an outbreak of this disease elsewhere," Muhsin said.
Abdullah said the number of new cases has been slowing now that the problem has been identified with the water, and that measures are being taken to fix the situation. The World Health Organization said this week that all public water supply systems in the affected districts have been chlorinated by provincial authorities.
"In addition, water samples from the public water supply sources are being collected and tested routinely to ensure they meet potable water safety standards," the WHO said. The health agency did not recommend any special restrictions on travel or trade to or from affected areas.
Labels: Adel Muhsin, cholera, Irbil, Sulaimaniyah, Tamim, UNDP, WHO
Monday, September 10, 2007
Talabani calls for free trade zone in Sulaimaniyah
Kurdistan
(German Press Agency) - Iraq's President Jalal Talabani opened Wednesday a business fair in Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdistan Autonomous Region. Talabani said at the opening that the annual event played an important role in stimulating reconstruction projects in the northern Kurdish provinces. But he also said the fair was a symbol of Iraq's national unity.
The economy of the relatively stable Kurdistan Autonomous Region is booming, in stark contrast to other areas of Iraq where investors are scared away by deadly sectarian violence. Iraq's Kurds have ruled themselves under the protection of the United States since the end of the Gulf war in 1991.
The economy of the relatively stable Kurdistan Autonomous Region is booming, in stark contrast to other areas of Iraq where investors are scared away by deadly sectarian violence. Iraq's Kurds have ruled themselves under the protection of the United States since the end of the Gulf war in 1991.
Talabani, himself a Kurd, called for the establishment of a free trade zone in Sulaimaniyah. Over 276 Iraqi and international firms are taking part in the fair, offering a range of products and services from cars to telecommunications. Many firms come from Turkey and Iran, Iraq's big neighbours.
Labels: business fair, free trade zone, Jalal Talabani, Sulaimaniyah
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Five cholera deaths in northern Iraq
Health
(RFE/RL) - The Kurdistan region's health minister, Ziryan Uthman, announced on August 26 that five people have died from cholera in the cities of Al-Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk, Kurdistan Satellite Television reported. Saying there have been a few cases of diarrhea in Kirkuk, he added, "There have also been about 2,000 cases of severe diarrhea in Al-Sulaymaniyah, and medical examinations showed that three of [the deaths] in Al-Sulaymaniyah were [due to] cholera." Uthman said those infected were all elderly persons already battling other diseases, suggesting that the victims may have had impaired immune systems. Uthman added that there are currently 150 to 200 known cholera cases in Al-Sulaymaniyah. "We have requested assistance from the World Health Organization, the Red Cross, and the Ministry of Health in Baghdad," he noted.
Labels: cholera, Kurdistan, Sulaimaniyah, Ziryan Uthman
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Sweden suspends Iraq flights
Kurdistan
(AP) -- Sweden has suspended commercial flights to and from Iraq after an apparent rocket attack against a passenger jet as it took off from the northern city of Sulaimaniyah, the Nordic country's aviation authority said Tuesday. In the incident last Wednesday, pilots of the Nordic Airways plane carrying 130 passengers noticed a trail of light arching over the aircraft just after takeoff, Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Anders Lundblad said.
The McDonnell Douglas MD83 plane was not hit, and arrived safely in Stockholm. Lundblad said the incident was being investigated, but that preliminary information suggested "some kind of rocket" was fired at the plane. The authority suspended all commercial airline traffic between Sweden and Iraq last week pending a review of the security situation in northern Iraq.
It is rare for such violence to occur in Sulaimaniyah, a city in Iraq's relatively peaceful autonomous Kurdish region, 160 miles northeast of Baghdad. The Swedish decision affected two small airlines: Nordic Airways, which flies once a week between Stockholm and Sulaimaniyah, and Viking Airlines, which operates four flights a week between Stockholm and Irbil, also in northern Iraq.
Nordic Airways had rebooked passengers departing from Iraq on other airlines, while some 3,000 people booked on Viking Airlines flights were stranded in Iraq, the aviation authority said. Sweden is home to more than 70,000 Iraqi immigrants, many of whom come from the Kurdish areas in northern Iraq.
Mikael Wangdahl, Chief Executive of Nordic Airways said the incident was immediately reported to air traffic controllers and the U.S. military. The pilots then were advised to continue the flight, but to take a shorter route. Passengers and cabin crew did not notice what happened, Wangdahl said, but crew members were briefed about it after the plane landed in Stockholm. Kurdish authorities have denied there was an attack.
The McDonnell Douglas MD83 plane was not hit, and arrived safely in Stockholm. Lundblad said the incident was being investigated, but that preliminary information suggested "some kind of rocket" was fired at the plane. The authority suspended all commercial airline traffic between Sweden and Iraq last week pending a review of the security situation in northern Iraq.
It is rare for such violence to occur in Sulaimaniyah, a city in Iraq's relatively peaceful autonomous Kurdish region, 160 miles northeast of Baghdad. The Swedish decision affected two small airlines: Nordic Airways, which flies once a week between Stockholm and Sulaimaniyah, and Viking Airlines, which operates four flights a week between Stockholm and Irbil, also in northern Iraq.
Nordic Airways had rebooked passengers departing from Iraq on other airlines, while some 3,000 people booked on Viking Airlines flights were stranded in Iraq, the aviation authority said. Sweden is home to more than 70,000 Iraqi immigrants, many of whom come from the Kurdish areas in northern Iraq.
Mikael Wangdahl, Chief Executive of Nordic Airways said the incident was immediately reported to air traffic controllers and the U.S. military. The pilots then were advised to continue the flight, but to take a shorter route. Passengers and cabin crew did not notice what happened, Wangdahl said, but crew members were briefed about it after the plane landed in Stockholm. Kurdish authorities have denied there was an attack.
Labels: Anders Lundblad, Kurdistan, Mikael Wangdahl, Nordic Airways, Sulaimaniyah, Sweden, Viking Airlines
